1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a seat belt device for a two-door automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a seat belt guide member provided for a seat so designed as to be able to move the seat belt along the side surface of the seat cushion of the front seat frontward and horizontally, when the seat back of the front seat is tilted forward, in order that it is possible to open or close the vehicle side door smoothly without pinching the seat belt between the seat cushion and the seat back.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The background of the present invention will be explained with respect to its application to the seat belt device used with an automotive vehicle.
As is well-known, there have been various safety seat belt device used for an automotive vehicle so as to protect a driver or passengers seated within the passenger compartment from injury caused by a shock when the vehicle is suddenly decelerated in an emergency such as in a collision. Normally, the seat belt can be reeled out easily from a retractor by the driver or passenger and is biased to be reeled within the retractor so that the seat belt may be brought into contact with the body of the driver under an appropriate tension. In the case where an automatic locking retractor is provided for the seat belt device, the seat belt is locked or stopped from being further reeled out from the retractor in case an extraordinary shock is given to the retractor. This is because an inertia-sensitive sensor can detect the shock and lock the seat belt so that that seat belt can be prevented from being further reeled out from the retractor.
The present invention relates to a seat belt device provided for a front seat whose seat back can be tilted forward, in which one end of the seat belt is fixed to a retractor provided on the middle side of the seat frame and the other end thereof is fixed to the door side so as to protect the driver's body, contacting the hips and the shoulder.
In the seat belt device as described above, when the seat back is tilted forward and the door is opened by the rear seat passengers in order to get out of the passenger compartment, since the seat belt is reeled out of the retractor, the belt does not properly fit the front seat driver or passenger.
In addition to the above shortcomings, when the seat back is tilted forward, since the belt is pinched between the seat cushion and the seat back, it is difficult to reel the belt out from the retractor smoothly because a strong frictional force is applied to the belt; that is, it is difficult to open the side door smoothly.
The prior-art seat belt device will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings under DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.